Regret
by appleslovetea
Summary: Asami and Akihito have broken up, but they don't seem to be dealing with the situation as well as they would hope.
1. PART I

**Regret**

* * *

At some point he realized it started raining, although he didn't recall exactly when.

For a few seconds he got distracted watching the pedestrians running for cover as the rain turned into hail, but his stare soon returned to the entrance of the office building close to where his limo had stopped.

More and more people were exiting the building now, which made sense to him given the time of day. If it weren't for the dark clouds covering the sky he was sure there would be a nice sunset colouring it at the moment.

He watched random strangers laughing and cracking jokes at each other before bidding goodbye to one another for the day, most of which he noticed were carrying backpacks, making him wonder whether they were concealing cameras in them as well.

Deep down he knew that the situation he was in was nothing short of pathetic and foolish and that he shouldn't be feeding such a stupid weakness.

It was completely out of character for him, but the truth was he just couldn't help it.

Something definitely had shifted within him recently and it had been so subtle that he only came to realize it when it was already too late to do anything about it. He now knew he'd been infected though, and that there was no cure for the malice that was eating his heart out and consuming his soul.

That's why he kept coming back to that place...

The first time he'd told Kirishima to drive by that street he'd tried to convince himself that he just wanted to check up on the kid; see how he was doing, that sort of thing. The situation between them had ended so bitterly after all... The kid had been a complete wreck the last time they had seen each other.

But then he found himself asking Kirishima the exact same thing a few days later, and then a few days after that, until it ended up becoming a weekly event.

It wasn't long though before the assistant was forced to make the detour almost on a daily basis, before driving him to the office.

Kirishima always stopped at a safe distance from the news' office building and stayed there for ten to fifteen minutes, until he was told to drive off.

Asami never got out of the car though, or did anything to make his presence known to the youngster. He was however painfully aware his self-imposed restrain was getting harder and harder to maintain.

"Asami-sama..." Kirishima called out to him from the driver's seat. "Perhaps he has already left for the day..."

His boss's voice was neutral when he replied. He had never been one to openly display his emotions after all. "I'll wait a few more minutes."

No sooner the words left his mouth than the entrance doors to the building slid open and out came the subject of his musings, accompanied by another young man.

His colleague must have been telling him a funny story, because the youngster soon burst out laughing, so much so that he had to lift a hand to his stomach to try to calm himself down.

Asami watched the duo as they stood below the building's awning, seemingly waiting for the hail to die down, and had to fight the urge to get out of the limo, walk towards his former lover and possessively kiss him right then and there.

He figured that the young man somehow ended up feeling he was being watched, because he suddenly turned his face towards the limo; a hint of surprise clearly visible in his eyes.

Asami reacted instantly, ordering Kirishima to drive off at once.

It was only when the limo had turned the corner, that Asami realized that his heart was beating uncontrollably.

He raised a hand to his chest massaging away the uncomfortable feeling plaguing him.

He knew that if he didn't do anything about it soon, he'd go insane.

* * *

Akihito stood staring at the place where the limo had been parked on, long after it drove off in a hurry.

He was so surprised to see the limo there for the third time that week that he was sure it had somehow ended up showing on his face.

Maybe that was why the limo had driven off more quickly that day. Great! Now Asami probably knew he was aware he was being stalked.

"Hey Takaba!" His colleague called out beside him, bringing him back to the present. "Are you even listening?"

Akihito cracked an apologetic smile at him, clearly showing himself guilty. "Sorry... Mind repeating the last part?"

As his friend resumed the joke he was telling, Akihito realized that his heart was beating like crazy against his breast bone.

He held up a palm above his t-shirt feeling the erratic beats even thru the fabric.

Deep down he knew he had to do something about this whole situation with Asami... Otherwise he was sure he was going to go insane.

* * *

**A/N:** Hi there :) I kinda wrote this as a quick one-shot, but if you think it is worth it I can make it into a two-shot. Let me know if you'd like to read more. Bye ;)


	2. PART II

**Regret**

**PART II**

* * *

(3 months before)

To say the situation between them was tense would be an understatement.

The truth was that it had been tense for quite some time, yet Asami had consciously decided to ignore the seriousness of it, brushing it off as just another phase. Akihito was known to have them after all, and so the older man comforted himself by thinking that this one would soon also pass.

He wasn't able to ignore it that night though…

"You're blocking the way to the door." A bitter Akihito snapped at him.

The young man was standing in front of Asami with the biggest resolve the latter had seen him bore so far. His eyes were fierce, almost wild-looking, and he kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other as if he was ready to attack at any moment.

Asami felt his chest muscles unexpectedly tightening. The case was worse than he'd anticipated. He had a strange feeling he was very close to losing the youngster.

"I _said,_ you're blo-"

"I'm well aware I'm blocking the way to the door."

"Then _MOVE_!"

If there was one thing Asami Ryuuichi couldn't stand it was to be bossed around and he was pretty sure that if any other person in the world would have spoken to him in such a tone, he or she would be having a love affair with the floor tiles right about then.

Given that the subject in question was Akihito, his reaction ended up being more controlled, though not without some effort on his part.

Asami took a deep breath before speaking again, making sure that the youngster realized thru his eyes and manner, that he was not to be spoken in those terms again.

"Calm yourself down, will you? You're being unreasonable."

This time he heard Akihito laugh. "_I'm_ being unreasonable? !" The young man retorted. "Of course you'd think I'm the one with the problem… Just get out of the way, Asami."

Akihito made a move to walk past the older man, but Asami was quicker, grabbing him by the arm in a tight grip.

"Let-Go." Was Akihito's immediate response.

"Not unless you tell me _why_ you are doing this. Why do you want to leave?"

The youngster's reply was short, mechanical and seemingly deprived of emotions, which only managed to infuriate Asami even further.

"I'm fed up with you." Akihito confessed.

"Liar! Give me the _real_ reason."

When he was greeted with nothing but silence, Asami tightened his grip on the youngster's arm even more.

"Akihito." He demanded.

"I'm not lying…" The young man finally said, his voice so low it sounded distorted. "I'm sick of being treated like I'm just another toy to you."

"_What_? What are you talking about?"

"You don't care about anyone but yourself, Asami. You're so cold you don't pay attention to anything around you. You just use people to get what you want. Like we are all your chess pawns. I can't keep doing this. I can't allow you to toy with me anymore. I want out."

His bitter yet sincere words hit Asami like a well-placed punch. He moved his hands to Akihito's shoulders forcing the youngster to look up at him.

"When have I treated you like a toy? Huh, when? Why would you think you are just a toy to me?"

He could tell Akihito was on the verge of tears by then, but the youngster still held his stance bravely. His next words though, really shook Asami's core.

"What am I to you then?" The young man asked unexpectedly.

Asami might as well have been asked what the meaning of life on Earth was. He sure looked dumbfounded enough as if he had.

He had surely been surprised by the question, but it turned out he was even more surprised by the fact that he couldn't seem to articulate a proper answer for it.

He looked back at Akihito eventually, noticing the younger man's eyes growing more sad and disappointed as the seconds went by in silence.

"What are you to me?" Asami repeated quietly, slackening his hold on Akihito, who took advantage of the situation to break free from his grasp.

"See?...I'm nothing to you." The young man said with a bitter smile, backing away towards the front door of the apartment.

Asami had to mentally slap himself out of his stupor. "Wait. I want you to stay."

"Why?"

Shit. _Why_? Why was his head screaming at him to stop Akihito from leaving the apartment? Why couldn't he figure out why he wanted the youngster to stay by his side?

"…I don't know why." Asami answered truthfully, seeing a tear finally escape Akihito's eyes...

* * *

It was the sound of his iPhone going off that put an end to his dream.

Suppressing a tired yawn, he stretched an arm towards the bedside table, picking up the infernal contraption and bringing it over to his ear.

"Yes?"

"Asami-sama?" He recognized his assistant's voice instantly.

"I thought I told you not to wake me up before noon."

"W-Well, yes sir. You see, it's already past two in the afternoon."

Asami frowned, peeking thru half-open eyelids at the alarm clock on top of the bedside table. 2:15 p.m. _Shit_! He'd slept in _again_.

"Asami-sama?"

"Yes, go ahead." Asami said, sitting up in bed.

"It's about tomorrow's fund raising gala for the new city hospital…"

Double shit! Asami had completely forgotten about the thing. He was meant to attend it as one of the main fund contributors, though he was far from being in the mood for any social gatherings of the sort as of late.

"What about it?" He asked, trying not to sound as bored as he truly felt.

"I was contacted by a representative of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper this morning. It seems the newspaper is doing a vast article on the fund raising gala and they would like to interview some of its major contributors."

"No."

"But Asami-sama…"

"Forget it, I hate the stuff. Tell them to go bother someone else."

"It's just a short interview, Asami-sama, with maybe a couple of pictures to feature alongside the article."

"Kirishima, I said _no_."

"But think about the publicity opportunity, Asami-sama. It would be a fantastic chance to promote the new nightclub!"

Oh, triple shit! Couldn't Asami just go back to sleep and wake up in a week's time?

The older man sighed tiredly against the iPhone, trying not to curse out loud before he answered his assistant. "Can you guarantee me the interview will be short? Half-an-hour tops. Otherwise I'll leave the reporter hanging."

Kirishima was more than happy to oblige. "Yes, sir. I'll deal with all the specifications of the interview. You won't have to worry about a thing."

"…When is the newspaper planning to send someone for the interview then?"

"This afternoon. They want the interview to go along with tomorrow's report on the fund raising gala, to cause more impact on the readers. I can clear your schedule from 7 to 8 pm this afternoon, if you'd like."

"Whatever. That's fine."

"Just one more thing sir…"

It was clear by Kirishima's tone that his boss was not going to like what he was about to say.

"_What_?"

"The newspaper representative requested for the interview to be held at your apartment."

This time Asami _did_ curse out loud. Not that Kirishima hadn't expected it.

"The newspaper is trying to have the donnors' portrayed in a more down to earth manner, to make them more relatable to the readers." He quickly explained to his boss. "They want to take a few photos of you in your own home, to show you in a more approachable manner than let's say, if the interview was held at your office."

"Kirishima…"

"Think about the positive publicity opportunity, Asami-sama…"

The older man sighed in defeat. "Half-an-hour, Kirishima. The reporter has half-an-hour. One more minute and he or she goes out the windows."

"Yes, sir." His subordinate replied, taking his boss's words very seriously. "I'll call you back shortly with some extra details." He added, just before hanging up.

Asami stared at the iPhone's blank screen for a couple of seconds after that, as a thought suddenly formed in his mind.

The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper? Akihito's photo agency frequently worked with that newspaper. What if…?

He quickly dismissed the thought though; a bitter smile appearing in his lips as a result. What was he thinking? That Akihito would willingly show up at his doorstep to take his picture for the news article? What a fool he was!

Kicking the bed sheets to the side, Asami quickly jumped out of bed making his way to the bathroom.

A cold shower would no doubt get his mind off of the youngster… or so he hoped.

* * *

(That afternoon – at Akihito's news' agency)

Akihito was packing his camera for the day, when he heard his boss's voice calling out to him from inside his office.

The young man made his way there with a quick stride, wondering what the old man would want from him as such a late hour.

"Ah, Takaba!" The man exclaimed as soon as he heard Akihito's footsteps inside the office. "Shut the door behind you, will you?" He asked, not lifting his eyes from the pile of photos he held in his hands.

"What's up, boss?"

"You've worked with Matsumoto Megumi before, haven't you?" His boss asked, finally looking at the youngster from behind the thick lenses of his glasses.

"The socialite reporter from Yomiuri Shimbun? Yeah, sure. A few times."

"Great! She just called me a few seconds ago with a last minute assignment. She's doing a small interview to accompany the newspaper article regarding tomorrow's big fundraising event for the new children's hospital and asked if you were available to take some pictures."

"Sure, boss. When's the gig?"

"In forty minutes…" The man said, as if the short notice was the most natural thing in the world to him. "She's driving here to pick you up as we speak."

"Wow, that's ok I guess." Akihito said, not really wanting to say no to his boss. He supposed that after two years at the agency he should be accustomed to the last minute gigs that his boss was so found of throwing at him from time to time.

"So where's the interview? What's it about?"

"Some rich fella's home." The old man said, shrugging casually. "It won't take you very long. Half-an-hour max. The guy's assistant was pretty adamant about the deadline. You know how these rich fella's are? Always busy. They have very little time to spare to us common mortals. Oh, here's the address in case Matsumoto gets lost. I heard from Mitarai she has no sense of direction when driving."

Akihito picked up the post-it note from his boss's desk, but as soon as his eyes swept thru its contents he felt the blood in his veins freeze.

"This can't be right." He said, as he painfully recognized the address, not realizing he'd just spoken out loud.

"What did you say?" His boss enquired, though Akihito's paid little attention to him; his eyes still glued to the address on the post-it note.

"Oh, I noted down the guy's name as well. Give me a second." The old man added, rummaging thru the mess of loose papers on top of his desk. "Ah, here it is. Asami Ryuuichi. I think he's the guy who owns a bunch of nightclubs and hotels around Tokyo… He'll probably use the interview to publicize a new business project. Smart ass!"

"I-I can't do this gig."

Akihito's remark made his boss frown instantly. "Why the hell not? You were fine with it a second ago. What's the matter all of a sudden?"

The young man tried his best to sound natural though he was very much aware he was failing miserably. "I-I was just on my way home for the day. Can't someone cover for me just this once?"

"…Takaba, you know how important to the agency our partnership with Yomiuri Shimbun is…" The old man said, taking his glasses off for a moment. "I am in no position to say no to them, especially when they've made a specific request for one of my photo journalists... I can't say I'm not surprised by your request though. You've never refused work before." He stated, staring at Akihito more intently. "Is something wrong, Takaba? Are you acquainted with the man you are supposed to photograph by any chance?"

Acquainted? Akihito thought bitterly. If sleeping with him for the better part of the last two years qualified as being acquainted, then Akihito sure as hell was.

"Never mind, boss." The youngster replied nevertheless, quickly snapping out of his musings. "I'll get those photos for you." He said, just before leaving his boss's office, thus preventing the old man from asking any further questions.

It was only when Akihito got inside the elevator to meet up with the reported on the building's lobby that he realized he was shaking.

He gave a quick glance at his reflection in the elevator's mirror, noticing how pale he had become all of a sudden.

To say he didn't welcome the chance of meeting up with Asami again would be a lie.

He truly wanted to make sure that things between them were definitely over, and that the older man had put their affair behind him for good, so that Akihito could finally move on with his life.

But he always thought that he would have a little more time to prepare himself for the encounter.

Akihito glanced at the mirror one last time, before the elevator's doors opened behind him.

He had to find the courage inside him to face Asami somehow, even if that meant lying to his own heart.

**(To be continued…)**

* * *

**A/N:** And the two-shot just became a three-shot lol Hurray! Thank you very much for your comments and interest in the story :) I hope it will not disappoint. See you on the next chapter! ;)


	3. PART III

**A/N:** Hi! Thanks for your feedback and interest in the story :) It's turning out a lot longer and with a lot more twists than I had first anticipated, but I'm enjoying writing it a lot, so hopefully you will enjoy reading it too. Forget about the three-shot though. I think this story is going to be a loooong one lol. Until the next chapter! ;)

**Regret**

**PART III**

* * *

"You're awfully quiet today, Akihito-kun." The woman observed.

Akihito fidgeted in the car seat beside her, suddenly aware he hadn't paid attention to anything the reporter had been blabbering about.

"Sorry…What was it you were saying?

"I asked if you know anything about the guy we're going to interview, Asami Ryuuichi."

"No…Not really." Akihito lied, noticing how easily Matsumoto-san bought into it.

"I'm not surprised. The guy tends to avoid the press at all costs. Our newspaper has been trying to get an interview with him for ages. I'm amazed myself Asami-san agreed to today's interview… Then again, if I was him, I'd probably want to avoid the press as much as possible too..."

"What do you mean?"

The young woman averted her eyes from the road for a few seconds to look at Akihito intently, seeming to ponder whether or not to share the information.

"Well… they're just rumors really, but the word on the street is that Asami-san deals in the black market. He uses his clubs and hotels just as a legal front for his underworld business. They say his fortune is worth billions and that he deals in illegal gun trafficking."

Akihito found himself smiling bitterly at her words. Whoever _they_ were, they were most definitely right.

"Of course, there are far more appealing aspects about him, than just his fortune." Matsumoto-san continued, a wide grin appearing on her lips all of a sudden.

When Akihito stared at her confused by her comment, she laughed.

"I suppose you've never seen him in person? Let me tell you Akihito-kun, Asami Ryuuichi is most definitely God's gift to women. I confess I've only seen him on a couple of social occasions before, but boy was I impressed! A fine piece of man that guy is. Always impeccably dressed, oozing style and stamina out of every pore. And that body… What a temple!" Matsumoto-san explained; a slight dreamy tone noticeable in her voice. "But what am I saying? I'm sorry, Akihito-kun. I must be boring you to tears…"

"No. That's ok." Akihito replied, pretending to adjust the lens on his camera and hoping the reporter wouldn't notice the blush that suddenly appeared over his cheeks.

"You know, my team has this private joke between us at the office where we say that Asami Ryuuichi is so good looking he's able to turn any man that comes 5 feet from him completely gay... What a silly bunch we are!" She laughed, failing to see Akihito's cheeks turn crimson.

"Hmm…I should be making a left turn here somewhere, shouldn't I?"

"It's the first exit to the left after the roundabout." Akihito blurted out, hoping to change the direction of the conversation.

"Oh, really?" Matsumoto-san asked relieved. She had been fearing for a few minutes now that she'd gotten them lost. "Do you know this area?"

"Y-Yeah. I've done a few photograph gigs around here." Akihito said, lying again. What was he supposed to say though? That he had lived in the building they were heading to for almost two years of his life?

"I wonder if he'll be willing to answer a few questions about his personal life." He heard the reporter mumble.

"Who?"

"Oh, did I say that out loud?" She smiled apologetically. "I meant, Asami-san. I was hoping to add a couple of personal questions to the interview. You know, just to spice the article up. I wonder if he'd be willing to answer them…"

"_Don't count on it_." Akihito thought in reply.

"There isn't much information about his personal life going about. Well, apart from the failed marriage of course, but that's old news."

"_What_? !" Akihito nearly screamed, making Matsumoto-san turn to look at him with a frown.

"Asami-san… was married?" He asked a couple of seconds later, in a calmer tone.

"Yes, but that was ages ago. If I recall correctly, it happened in his early twenties. He only stayed married for a couple of months though. If I remember correctly from his file, the marriage was annulled. To what the annulment was due though, no one really knows."

Akihito felt the muscles around his chest tighten painfully. Asami had been married? ! How come he'd never found out about it? He remembered doing a thorough research on Asami's life years ago, around the time he'd first heard about the older man's existence, but the word "marriage" had never popped up anywhere in association with his former lover.

Matsumoto-san ended up answering that question for him.

"It seems Asami-san paid a lot of money to remove the initial marriage registration from any official records." She continued. "You wouldn't find any information regarding it at this point, even if you were a skilled detective. I myself only stumbled upon the info by pure chance."

"…W-Who was he married to?" Akihito asked, only to have the female reporter shrug beside him in response.

"No idea. There is a lot of speculation on the subject, of course. But one thing is known for sure…"

"What?..."

"Asami-san's former wife was the one who lent him the money for him to open his first club…"

"Huh? !" Akihito exclaimed completely shocked, just as Matsumoto-san turned a corner and a huge expensive looking apartment building appeared right in front of the car.

"Finally! Here we are." She exclaimed, relieved.

* * *

What happened between the time Akihito exited the car and entered the elevator inside the building's lobby was pretty much a blur in his mind.

He had an odd feeling he'd tried his best to hide behind Matsumoto-san as she was announcing herself to the building's concierge, afraid the old man would recognize him in some way, but that was about it.

The surprising piece of information he'd just found out about Asami's past wouldn't stop tormenting his brain, even though he knew there was no point in letting it affect him at this stage.

Everything was already over between the two of them, after all. What was the big deal in Asami having hid from him the fact he'd been married before? As Matsumoto-san had very truthfully mentioned, the fact had happened ages ago.

Even so, the situation made Akihito immediately wonder what else had the older man also "hidden" from his knowledge during their two yearlong love affair.

Akihito didn't have much time to dwell on dark thoughts though. Soon the elevator doors opened on the penthouse floor of the building and before he knew it Matsumoto-san was ringing the bell of a painfully familiar front door.

He waited in anticipation, dreading what was to come, but the seconds went by and no movement reached them from the other side of the door. The whole floor was in fact terribly quiet.

"That's odd." The reporter said, checking her wristwatch. "It's exactly the appointed time for the interview." She added, ringing the bell once again.

A few more seconds went by in silence, after which Matsumoto-san tried knocking directly on the heavy wooden door.

A small glimpse of hope fired up deep inside Akihito's chest. "Maybe no one's in." He suggested. Knowing Asami, it wasn't that farfetched to assume he'd just stood up the reporter.

It turned out his hope was short lived. After one last fierce attempt by Matsumoto-san at knocking on the door, they both clearly heard steps approaching it from within the apartment, and sure enough it wasn't long before the sound of a lock being opened echoed thru the hall.

Akihito barely had time to catch his breath before the front door swung inwards and Kirishima-san appeared into view.

Asami's assistant noticed the reporter first.

"Ah, you must be Matsumoto Megumi from Yomiuri Shimbun. We spoke earlier on the phone. I am Asami-sama's assistant Kirishima Rei." He said, bowing respectfully.

"Yes, I'm Matsumoto. How do you do?" She greeted, returning the bow. "Please let me introduce the photographer accompanying me today. This is Takaba Akihito from Midori Photograph Agency."

Kirishima sprang upright as soon as he heard Akihito's name being mentioned; his eyes practically flying out of their sockets in shock as he finally acknowledged the younger man's presence.

"Huh…Taka-… Huh…" He mumbled incoherently.

In some other situation, Akihito was sure he would have found it quite amusing to see Asami's assistant without a clue on how to approach a situation, but he figured today was not the case.

"Nice to meet you, Kirishima-san." Akihito greeted, bowing to him as if they had never met before, thus putting an end to the assistant's dilemma, who quickly greeted him back in much the same way.

That didn't stop Kirishima from acting awkwardly though, as he rushed both reporter and photographer inside the apartment.

"If you wouldn't mind," He started, as soon as he closed the front door behind them. "I need to address an urgent matter with Asami-sama before letting you in for the interview. It will only take a couple of minutes." He explained, unable to prevent his eyes from lingering on Akihito far longer than expected.

"Sure. Take your time." Matsumoto-san quickly replied, unaware of the drama unfolding around her. "We'll just take the chance to admire the artwork." She said, pointing to the several paintings decorating the hall's walls, some of which Akihito himself had helped put up.

It took about five minutes for Kirishima to return, period of time in which Akihito could do nothing but try to get his heart to stop beating as erratically as it was doing now.

It had been three months since he'd last seen Asami in person, and that last meeting, in that very same hallway where he was standing now, didn't exactly fill him with warm and fuzzy memories.

Things between them had ended abruptly and bitterly and to be honest, even though he had spotted Asami's limo outside his office building numerous times after their break-up, Akihito wasn't really sure how the older man was going to react to his presence.

He was quickly brought back to the present though, when he heard Kirishima clearing his throat in an attempt to get his boss's guests attention.

"Asami-sama will see you now. This way please." The assistant said, motioning towards the living room.

"Great. Come, Takaba-kun." Matsumoto-san said cheerfully, following right behind Kirishima.

As for Akihito, he practically had to yell at his legs to move. He was very conscious that he was about to break into a cold sweat and that he was gripping the sides of his camera so fiercely that his knuckles were about to turn white.

He expected to see Asami as soon as he walked into the living room, yet unexpectedly that did not end up being the case. Asami was nowhere to be seen.

That didn't seem to bother Yomiuri Shimbun's reporter though.

"Oh, this room is absolutely exquisite. So carefully decorated!" She exclaimed, clearly in awe of her surroundings. "Asami-san is clearly a man of impeccable taste."

The voice that replied to her made Akihito's breath get caught in his lungs.

"Thank you for the compliment, but I can't take the credit for the décor. Most pieces belonged to the previous owner of the apartment." Asami said, stepping into the room from the adjacent balcony, which sliding doors Akihito had failed to notice until that point had been opened.

The moment his eyes fell on the older man's frame, Akihito found himself unable to look away. For a fraction of a second he thought it was funny how his brain was trying to pinpoint any diferences between the Asami he was seeing now and the one lodge in his memory from three months ago.

Akihito only half registered the fact that Matsumoto-san was introducing herself to Asami, using her full blown socialite reporter charm on him. Only when the introductions turned to him, did he become once again alert of his surroundings.

The initiative came yet again from Matsumoto-san. "Asami-san, please let me introduce you to today's photographer, Taka-"

"Yes, I know." Asami cut her off, albeit politely, as he turned his gaze towards Akihito for the first time since entering the room. "Takaba Akihito… Nice to meet you." He greeted; a strange tone noticeable in his voice, as the intensity of his gaze on the younger man grew deeper.

As Akihito bowed in return, he could feel his heart starting to beat uncontrollably once again.

He could only hope that the next half hour would fly by in a hurry.

Deep down though, he had a strange feeling that that wasn't going to be the case.

**(to be continued…)**


End file.
